Three Deadly Fates
by Imaginariet
Summary: To be released.
1. Chapter One: Luckily Unlucky

A/N: I've looked back on this story and realized how excruciatingly long the chapters are. I decided to completely overhaul the story since I wasn't too happy with any of it really, right down to the title and summary. So the story is now undergoing/has undergone a complete overhaul. Though, chances are I'll come back someday and realize the chapters are too short and do it all over again :). I'm just never happy. ::shakes head::

Disclamer: I don't own Tommy Vercetti or any of the characters of Grand Theft Auto, you all know how that goes. However, to the best of my knowledge, I do own Lee, Dom, Marty and Molly. So far.

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It had been three days since she'd woken up on a grassy shoulder of the road. It seemed to her as if she was between the boardwalk and the strip. She woke up in the dead of night,taken abackby the bright lights and glamorous people. There were mostly hotels there, but she'd noticed a few other businesses lining the street as well.

She had wandered around aimlessly since she'd woken up, having no money and nobody that she could contact to stay with or even take a shower and have a bite to eat. In fact, she didn't even know where she was, or even how she'd gotten there. All she knew was that her feet were tired and the lack of shower and change of clothes had begun to take its toll.

That morning she'd somehow wandered into a parking lot at the water's edge. Until that point she hadn't really thought to find out what the massive white building in front of her was, but curiosity had finally won over her exhaustion and she glanced up to the sign.

"Ocean Bay Marina." She looked through the glass doors at the people walking around inside, wishing she knew where she was. Maybe it was the exhaustion of not having slept for three days, but it didn't occur to her to walk inside and ask anybody.

Finally, after staring for about 5 minutes at the people wandering aroundinside the building, she turned her gaze toward the sparkling ocean and walked over to the cement railing to gaze out over the massive sheet of glass. She leaned herself against the metal bars, as her body was becoming progressively moreexhausted and she knew that she would soon have to find a safe place to lie down and sleep.

Soon afterward her feet grew tired and she decided to shuffle over to the winding curb that rested at the far left edge of the parking area. She sat down on the sun-heated cement and relaxed her muscles a bit, picking one leg up and crossing it over her other knee so she could massage her aching feet. She picked up a piece of a shattered beer bottle that lie in the grass beside her and attempted to look at herself in it. Through the distorted view of the curved, tinted glass she saw that she was dirty and tattered looking. She ran a hand through her long, dark hair in an attempt to straighten it out a bit and make herself look somewhat presentable. Not that she had anybody to present herself to, but just for principle purposes.

Soon she dropped the piece of glass and her body tensed a bit as the feeling that she should get up and move swept over her nerves. After a brief debate between her sixth sense and her tired body, the tired body won and she decided it wasn't worth it to try to find a new place to sit for such aminor reason.

Soon after, however, she found herself dodging out of the way of a very nice looking red sports car. Apparently, her mind had begun to wander since she'd never even heard the screeching tires heading toward her.

Though it could've been just as much her fault as the driver, her immediate instinct was to stand and yell at whomever may be driving the crimson killing machine.

"Hey!" she yelled, "watch where you're going! You almost hit me, you bastard!" She walked over to the car and peered in angrily, only to find that after her yelling and obscenities, nobody was in the car after all.

"Hey, sorry. Didn't see ya' there," came a mans voice from behind her. She spun around briskly and backed away, startled. "We were, uh, practicing the safety of jumping out of sports cars as they're still running," the strange man joked. The girl glared up at him and cocked an eyebrow, but the man just smiled and extended his hand. "I'm Dom." The girl smiled back and shook his hand. After a few moments of silence, Dom spoke again. "Uh... would it be presumptuous of me to ask your name?"

The girl shook her head and willingly opened her mouth to answer, but stopped and glared at him as a confused guise slowly took over her visage. She shook her head and looked up at the man with pain-stricken eyes. "I... I don't know." Dom glared at the girl for a while before finally speaking again.

"Well, where you from?"

The girl glared at him yet again with the same confused demeanor about her.

"I don't know that either. I don't even know where I am." Dom just watched her as she looked around, frightened and confused.

"Maybe she has that disease we were talkin' about, Dom..." a voice chimed in. Both Dom and the girl turned around and looked at another man standing behind Dom. "Ya know... that _amnesia_." Dom just glared at the man before finally speaking.

"Just get back in the car and shut up, Marty." Marty turned to where the car had stopped and kicked a pebble as he walked toward it, head down and self-esteem shattered.

"You," Dom began, turning back to the girl, "do you have anywhere to stay?" The girl shook her head.

"Do you think if I had somewhere to stay I'd be walking around a random parking lot for noapparent reason looking like this?"shequestioned pointedly.Dom narrowed his eyes for a second beforecrossingthem and eyeing her up cautiously. When he finally decided she was no threat to him, he spoke again.

"Well look, I have some business to take care of inside. You stay here until I come back out and we'll see what we can do about your problem." The girl nodded. "The one with your situation, anyway." The girl scowled at him andplaced a hand on her hip. Before she could retortand he hadalready turnedto run to his destination, somewhere around the other side of the building -- Marty trailing closely behind.

In what seemed likethe eternity before the men came back out, she contemplated what had happened. She couldn't understand why she hadn't jumped all over him as soon as he jumped out from... wherever he had jumped out from. She guessed she was too startled or too tired to put up a fight. Although she wasn't sure she should be badmouthing a man who randomly jumps out of red sports cards and has a partner of some sort named "Marty."

Soon her thoughts were interrupted as she heard men yelling in the distance. It sounded as if it was coming from where Dom and Marty had run to the building, but before the girl could further inspect it, the mencame running back from the building. As soon as they reached the girl, Dom grabbed her arm and ran with Marty back to the car. She hadn't had time to turn around and look at the men running after Dom and Marty, guns drawn, cocked, and ready to shoot.

"Come on, hurry up, get in!" he yelled.

"But there's no..." the girl began, confused and more than a little frightened.

"Just sit on Marty's lap! C'mon, let's go!"

As soon as she got in they sped away, driving up over the windy curb where she had been seated earlier. She turned and watched as three men dressed in blue uniforms ran after the car,riddling the trunk and rear windshield with bullet holes.

"Jesus Christ," the girl began, "what's wrong with them?" she asked later on as they were now calmly driving through a much nicer area of town.

"Among other things, a poor sense of fashion." The girl chuckled and Dom smiled, feeling somewhat proud that he could make her laugh. "You need a place to stay" he began, "You'll stay with me."

Moments later he pulled into the driveway of a very nice looking house.

"Yeah well, you owe me for nearly killing me anyway." The girl grinned. Dom looked at her with a quick defensive glance, but smiled back when he saw her grinning face.

"Come on, we got to get you settled in." The girl stepped out of the car and looked up at the house in awe.

"You live here?" she asked, surprised. The house wasn't necessarily spectacular. It wasn't near as nice as themansion they'd passed just before turning onto the road this house rested on, but considering the fact that she hadn't seen the interior of the house for what seemed like years, it was a definite sight to behold.

"I don't just live here,I own this house; along with several otherhouses and businessesthroughout the city." Dom smiled as the girl's piercing blue eyes widened.

"Yeah, I'm partners with a childhood buddy, lives down the street. Tommy Vercetti, if you don't know the name now, you will." The girl smiled as he sounded like some kind of corny television advertisement for laundry detergent.. "Come on, I'll show you around a little so you can get settled in." She walked past him up the steps of the house and checked back to see if he was following. Upon entrance, he began to show her around the house a bit.

"Okay, over here to your left is the kitchen if you need anything to eat, it's always fully stocked. Over here is the livin' room if you need to kick back and relax." The girl stepped aside, allowing him to lead her up the stairs. He walked to a door to the right of the stairs and opened it, stepped aside and motioned her inside. "This is your room for now. You got a bathroom over there," he pointed to a door to their left, "your bed here, a TV over there, and.... god damn it. I told that prick to have this mini bar ready. Can't depend on any bastards these days." The girl stepped inside the room further, looking around in awe.

"It's alright... I'm not much of a drinker anyway," she replied distantly, still somewhat awestruck by the room.

"Alright then, if you need anything just call and someone will be up. Marty'll stay here and keep you company for a while; make sure you get settled." Dom glanced at Marty who was staring at him with a deploring glare, but Dom opened his eyes wider at him and nodded. Marty dropped his head slightly and nodded to the girl.

"Yeah, I'll be here," he stated flatly. Dom looked back at the girl.

"I'm goin' out to take care of a little more business. My number is on that notepad over there by the phone if you need me," he nodded toward the phone, "you just go take a shower and Molly here will bring you a change of clothes and fix somethin' for you to eat, won't you Molly?" he asked in an almost domineering tone. Molly, his maid/housekeeper/cook just smiled and nodded willingly. "Good, we're all set. See you in a couple hours," he said, glancing over at the girl. He walked over to Marty and leaned down to speak in his ear. "Keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't try anything." Marty nodded in agreeance and Dom left.

The girl then turned and attempted to shut the door when Marty placed his hand firmly on it.

"What are you doin'?" he asked, interrogatively.

"I'm closing my door so I can get undressed and shower... I don't usually enjoy an audience for that." Marty immediately took his hand off of the door and blushed, smiling faintly at her. The girl closed the door and proceeded to remove her clothes and soak in a much-needed bubble bath.

Hours later, Dom returned home to find the girl curled up on the couch in front of the television in the living room, sound asleep. He smiled, vaguely remembering the last time he remembered enjoying watching a woman sleep. He then walked over to the couch and gently picked her up, carrying her to her bed where he tucked her in and wished her goodnight.


	2. Chapter Two: My Name is Lee and I'm 25 Y...

The very next day the girl awoke to the aroma of a heavenly breakfast being cooked in the kitchen downstairs. She quickly lifted her body from her bed, not even remembering falling asleep the night before, threw on her robe and glided down the stairs to the kitchen. There she found Marty and Dom sitting at the table shoveling the food into their mouths as fast as Molly could prepare it. Molly smiled at the girl.

"These boys... they have veracious appetites." The girl smiled back as she took a seat at a corner of the table.

"Good morning, sunshine." Dom greeted as he lifted his eyes from his plate and flashed her a friendly smile.

"Good morning. Mmm, what's for breakfast, it smells great." Molly laid a plate nearly overflowing with food in front of the girl.

"Eat up, honey. If you're as hungry as these two you'll needto hurry up before they eat it all," she said and chuckled. The girl laughed and looked at the short, chubby lady. She wasn't fat, but she wasn't thin. She looked like a small Italian woman, but her accent painted a faint portrait of an old-world Hispanic woman. She had an attractive face for a middle-aged woman, large brown eyes and a warm, welcoming smile. For as long as the girl had seen her, she wore plain, neutral colored, floor-length skirts and an off-white shirt with a checkered apron over it. She seemed very motherly and kind; it was quite a comfort to the girl.

"Molly, you're an amazing cook. My eyes are always too big for my stomach, I'm stuffed."

"Well you ought to be," replied Molly. "You ate enough." Dom laughed and stood up from the table. He looked over to the girl and pointed.

"When you're finished eating I want to see you out in the back yard." The girl looked up at Dom and nodded, lifting a fork-full of food into her mouth.

"Take your time, love," Molly began, "you need a good nutritious meal in you." The girl nodded and Molly began to walk away. She stopped and turned around, looking back at the girl. "Oh, and I put your clothes in the wash. I found some things in your pockets that might be of interest to you, I'll go get them now if you like." The girl nodded and continued to eat her breakfast, looking over at Marty.

"You don't talk much, do you?" she asked.

"Nah," he paused and ate another fork-full himself. "I'm just here for decoration." The girl chuckled and dropped her eyes back down to her plate. Soon, Molly came back into the kitchen with a handful of belongings of the girl's. She laid them on the table next to her, spreading them out so she could easily look at them. The girl put down her fork and picked up a small white plastic card. She turned it over and realized it was a driver's license. It had her picture on it, with date of birth, address, date of issue and date of expire blank. Only a few areas were filled in, including name and age. She held the card in her hand for a while, until her eyes went wide and her face lit up.

"I remember now!" she exclaimed, glancing over at Marty who seemed just as interested in it as the girl did. "My name is Lee... and I'm 25 years old, according to this card." Marty nodded.

"I coulda told you that," he stated, and smiled sheepishly. Lee grinned at Marty and fingered some of the other items on the table. A ponytail holder, a stray button, a small heart shaped piece of gold jewelry, possibly dismembered from a necklace, and a small rectangular plastic device.

"What's that?" Marty asked, eyeing up the small piece of plastic Lee held in her fingers.

"I'm not sure. The label is too torn to read it. Looks like it says mem.... memory... card?" she read off of the small and wearing label glued to the front. Marty and Lee exchanged confused glances. "Maybe I should put these things away..."

"Yeah... yeah you should. Just in case they're for something."

"Ironic isn't it?" Lee began, "it's a memory card... and I don't have any memory of anything." She grinned, secretly laughing at herself for saying something so corny. Marty chuckled but quickly straightened up as Dom entered the room.

"You aren't finished yet?" he asked dominantly.

"I'm done eating, but Molly found these things in my pockets. I remember now, Dom." Dom just shook his head and stared at the girl, questioningly. "My name is Lee!" she exclaimed again, still as excited as the first time.

"Okay, Lee," Dom began, seeming pleased that he knew what to address her by now, "why don't you go upstairs and get dressed, I have some things for us to do today." Lee smiled and rose from the breakfast table, gathering her tiny possessions and walking out of the kitchen and up to her room to dress.

By the time Lee arrived downstairs and out to the back yard, Dom was already set up with what seemed like somewhat of a wrestling ring, minus the ring part. Lee walked toward Dom cautiously, watching him eye her up as she moved.

"These are mean streets, Lee. I saw how you handled yourself in the parking lot yesterday, and I have to admit I'm a little bit concerned." Lee frowned.

"You think I can't protect myself..." she began.

"I think you don't realize how bad these streets are. I want to test you, to see how much of a fighter you are. See if you can defend yourself with your fists as much as you can with your mouth." Lee frowned again, but walked toward Dom onto the mats. He picked up a couple of rectangular pads and placed them over his hands. "Now, I want to see how good your raw fighting skills are. Hit my hands with your fists as hard as you can." Lee frowned but did as directed. She spread her feet apart enough to find her center of gravity and hit one of Dom's hands as hard as she could, nearly sending him into the pool behind them. Dom, after catching himself from a fall, stood up and eyed Lee up and down with wide eyes. "Where in hell did you learn to hit like that?!" he exclaimed.

"I don't know... that's a stupid question to ask a girl who just remembered her name," she replied and grinned devilishly. Dom grinned back while millions of ideas swam through his head.

"I think, Lee, that this is going to be much easier than I thought."


	3. Chapter Three: Handling Your Weapon

Lee dragged herself up the stairs and into her room, worn down from the "tests" Dom had been giving her throughout the week. She assumed she had passed with flying colors, realizing with each test that she had blown him away.

She stood in front of her bedroom window, peering out into the quiet neighborhood outside. Even though it was quiet and peaceful - the kind of neighborhood the American Dream of a family and safety is built on - she could still almost smell the corruption encrusting it. She saw it as she roamed the streets of the city, as she flew past the buildings and citizens on her way to the house, as she gazed out over the ocean to the island beyond them; it was almost like the city had a soul all it's own, and that soul was trapped under the skin of corruption and hate and anger enveloping it. She could almost feel it trying to tear its way out, but the already-corrupt minds of the law enforcers and citizens and even government officials wouldn't allow it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at her bedroom door. She pulled herself away from the window and went to open it.

"I just wanted to tell you, you better get some good rest tonight. You start training tomorrow." Lee shook her head.

"What? What training?"

"Weaponry. I don't want you walking around these streets completelydefenseless. If you're good enough, I might take you on some business with me on Friday." Lee frowned at the news... she wasn't sure she wanted to know exactly what kind of business he did.

"I wouldn't be_completely_ defenseless, though. We just spent the last week realizing that," Lee quipped. Dom wasn't entirely pleased with her response, but played it off all the same.

"I'd feel better if you knew how to handle a gun." Lee nodded.

"Alright, Dom. I was just getting ready for bed when you knocked."

"Don't look like it," he replied, cocking an eyebrow. Lee rolled her eyes and shook her head, grinning.

"Goodnight, Dom." She began to close the door in his face.

"I'll be up here at 10, you better be ready!" he called through the gap in her door before she shut it tight.

"Okay," she called back. She turned around and began to head toward the bathroom.

"Don't forget," Dom said as he quickly opened the door, grinning. That said, he shut it as quickly as he'd opened it. Lee laughed at his playfulness, wondering how anyone could be that fun after living the way she imagined he'd been living for years now.

After her shower she plopped immediately into bed, completely exhausted and not necessarily looking forward to the next day.

"Weaponry? What the hell good will that do me when I don't have a weapon?" she thought out loud. She reached over the edge of her bed and picked up a notebook from beneath it. She opened it and flipped through maybe 10 pages filled with words before coming to a clean blank one. She'd decided she'd keep a journal, just in case she had another "memory lapse." That was what she was calling it, for lack of a better term.

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The next morning she awoke to Dom shaking her and staring her dead in the face.

"I told you to be up and ready by 10. It's 10:30 now and you're still not up. Get the hell up before I get mad." Lee rubbed her eyes and stared at him through morning blurs.

"Before you get mad? You sure seem mad right now," she said sleepily. Dom just shot her a dirty look and turned to walk out of the room.

"Get ready." With that, he walked out of the room, leaving Lee alone to get showered and dressed.

As soon as he left she showered and dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast, only to greet an empty table surrounded by an equally empty kitchen. Dom crept up behind her and leaned his face down by her ear.

"You were late, Lee." Lee jumped and turned around swiftly.

"Damn it, Dom. Stop doing that." Dom laughed and gently took Lee by the arm.

"You can wait for lunch. Until then, I want to see if you can handle a gun. Come on, we're goin' to the cellar." He led her by the arm to a barely-noticeable door. As soon as he opened it she stared down a good number of stairs - Lee assumed probably 20, at least. He then led her by the arm down the stairs and into the cellar, Lee instinctively taking a look around her surroundings.

It looked like a fairly typical cellar: some furniture, some boxes, a couple mannequins dressed in rather old looking, but nice, clothes - nothing too out of the ordinary. Dom then led her to a door on the far back end of the cellar and opened it, pulling her inside a dark, confined space. She could feel him groping her arm as he felt around for the light string. She felt a little bit awkward, but knew he didn't mean anything by it. Finally he found it and switched the light on. Lee noticed his face was still a bit red from an apparent blush.

"I, uh, didn't touch anything did I?" he asked, apparently embarrassed. Lee laughed and shook her head.

"Nah, not really... my arm," she replied, amused at his embarrassment. As soon as Lee directed her attention away from his blushing face, it immediately snapped to the room filled with arms and ammunition. Her eyes widened as her fingers caressed the large weapons.

"Quite a collection," she began, trying not to let the shock she felt show in her voice. Dom looked at her and then nodded his head in the direction of a small, almost toy-like pistol.

"That's the gun you'll be workin' with today." Lee went over and picked it up, examining it as if she knew what to look for. "It may be small, but don't let it fool you. That thing packs one hell of a kick, and a lot of power to go along with it." Dom handed her some bullets and picked up his own gun, showing her how to load it. Lee followed his action, loading up her own gun. Dom then pointed his gun towards a bulls-eye on the wall and fired. Lee jumped as the loud pop rang in her ears, the gun nearly kicking into Dom's face. He situated himself again, as surprised as Lee at the kick on the tiny gun in his hands. Dom nodded his head toward the bulls-eye, signaling her that it was now her turn.

Lee lifted the gun and aimed it at the bulls-eye, spreading her feet about 1 foot apart so she wouldn't topple over. She slowly cocked the gun and squinted her eyes a bit, looking dead into the center of the bulls-eye. Finally she squeezed the trigger and closed her eyes tight, feeling the gun kick so hard it nearly hurt her hands. When she finally opened her eyes she looked at Dom - his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. He walked over to the target and tugged it from the thumbtack in the wall.

"How in the hell..." he began, still dumbfounded. Lee grinned proudly. As soon as Dom's shock wore off, he eyed Lee up suspiciously. Lee just stared at him, awaiting more words. "I just can't believe...have you ever handled a sub before?" he asked. Lee glared at him, confused. Dom reached over and picked up a medium sized, oddly shaped black gun. Lee looked at it as he loaded it and pointed it toward the wall where the target once was. "This is an Uzi, it's a sub-machine gun." Lee nodded. Dom handed her the gun as he went to get another paper target and pin it up to the wall. He took the gun from her upon return and glanced at her with a "pay attention, your turn is coming up" kind of look. Lee watched attentively as he aimed at the target and fired, missing the center by about a centimeter. It made quite a pop as well, but not anywhere near as loud as the python. He then handed her the gun.

"Your turn."


	4. Chapter Four: No News is Good News

Lee had now been training with weapons for five days, and each day Dom seemed to work her a little harder. She'd almost wished she were still on the streets...

"No," she whispered to herself, shaking the thoughts from her head. Dom had done her a favor. He took her in, fed her, clothed her, and took her under his wing. He was even training her to live on the streets so she didn't get killed... or run over. Lee painted a faint smile on her face, trying to convince herself - along with the rest of the world - that she was happy and grateful.

She sat herself down on the couch in the living area and grabbed the remote for the television. She was dead tired and knew that she should probably go to bed and get as much sleep as possible, but she hadn't watched much TV since she got there. In the kitchen she could hear Dom talking on his box-shaped cell phone. She could hear him laughing and talking away, as if he was talking to an old friend.

"Yeah... hey Tom I got a shipment comin' in on Friday, you can drop by and take what you need," she heard him say.

Tom. She figured it must've been the Tommy - something - guy he'd been telling her about her first day there. She also figured the "shipment" he was talking about was going to be the one she would be attending. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly in an attempt to calm her now raging nerves, thinking about what she might have to face on Friday.

Finally she decided to direct her attention to the flashing television, feeling guilty for eavesdropping on Dom's conversation. Soon after, Dom came into the room and sat beside her on the sofa, silent for only a moment.

"I've got a business meeting on Friday, Lee. You're coming with me, you alright about that?"

"Sure, why not," Lee agreed, doubting she had a choice in the matter anyway.

Dom wasn't very pleased at her nonchelant dimeanor but was pleased that she at least cooperated.

"Good," he replied, patting her knee. Lee just looked down at his hand, frowning. Dom noticed this, but ignored it. "On Friday I want you up and ready by noon." Lee looked at him.

"Noon? You're not waiting until nighttime?"

"I am, but it's best you prepare yourself early. Your stomach will be in knots all day and I don't want your nerves to get the best of our business," he replied, sounding appropriately professional and impersonal, never looking directly at Lee. This, of course, did nothing to soothe Lee, but she knew he was right. She couldn't have him getting killed or losing business because she vomited on the dealer's expensive Italian shoes.

"Alright, I'll be ready."

"Good," he replied simply and left the room, leaving Lee and her nerves to boil in peace.

Soon after her talk with Dom, she wasn't much in the mood to watch television. All that was on that night was news and some corny new sitcom premier anyway, so she decided to go upstairs and write in her journal until she fell asleep.

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The next morning she awoke to yelling downstairs, probably directly below her. It sounded like Dom was reprimanding Marty for something, as usual. She almost hated how he mistreated Marty, and how Marty just let him do it. Then again, she also knew that if Marty had back talked Dom he would kill him in a second. "Decorative men," as Marty put it, come a-dime-a-dozen, so it was probably best that way anyway.

Lee decided it best to push these thoughts away and get on with her sleep, so she turned over and tried to drift herself back off to sleep.

Lee had a rough night, even though she fell asleep quickly. She secretly figured her talk with Dom was a major part of it.

She glanced lazily at the clock as she turned over, not realizing before that it was well after noon. As soon as her sleepy eyes and exhaust-drowned mind realized what time it was, she jumped out of bed and hurriedly grabbed her robe, preparing to run downstairs and apologize adamantly to Dom for sleeping in so late. As she reached for the door, though, it came flying open, nearly knocking her down. When she caught her balance she looked up to see Dom standing there, his face reeking of anger and annoyance.

"What the hell is this, huh?! You know you're supposed to be up by noon, now we're running late." Dom stopped for a moment, realizing he was scaring Lee. "Get the hell dressed, we have shit to do," he finished and stomped away. Lee just stood and stared for a moment, trying to take it all in. Her mind never quite worked right when she just woke up.

As soon as her mind comprehended what had just happened, she dressed and greeted Dom downstairs. He just stared down at her angrily and guided her out the door. Lee didn't bother asking where they were going, just followed obediently and ducked into the passenger side of his red Cheetah.

They drove silently for what seemed like forever. It was nearly an hour's drive, and neither spoke the whole distance. Lee's attention shifted back and forth between watching the unfamiliar city fly past her, and watching Dom concentrate intently on the road before them. Soon they began to slow and the car finally stopped in front of a long block of buildings. Lee got out of the car with Dom and looked up at the sign on the building.

_"Ammu-Nation. Kind of catchy. Oh God, an ammo store. More training."_ Lee thought to herself. She followed Dom inside and watched as he picked up a revolver and nodded toward the clerk. The clerk grinned and Dom took Lee into the back where the shooting range was. The room was devoid of people and by Lee's estimation, was inappropriately quiet for a shooting range. Soon after she realized they weren't as alone as she figured, as the echoed booms of gunfire went off in a room even further back than the one she was standing in. Dom broke her attention by waving his hand in her face. As soon as she looked at him, he handed her a set of earphones and a pair of goggles. Lee frowned.

"Don't want you to shoot an eye out," Dom stated, amused at her frown. He laughed and turned her toward the target area. "Try to go more for accuracy than point score this time around, and one simple rule: don't shoot if you can't hit the target. No sense in wasting valuable ammo." Lee nodded and aimed her gun, going through the same steps she had in Dom's basement, but this time shooting a spare to make sure everything was working right. Dom went over to the other side of the room, hitting the switch that began the target practice.

Lee began shooting, randomly at first, not quite adjusting to the movement of the revolver as it fired yet. She could still hear Dom yelling her instructions to her, but ignored him for the most part since she felt secure in knowing what she was doing.

"I said go more for accuracy!" he yelled as she fired in what appeared to Dom as randomly. Soon he found himself watching target after target being completely wiped out in seconds and his jaw dropped.

_"Why am I so surprised?"_ he asked himself, recalling the past two weeks of shock she had given him. He finally closed his mouth and straightened himself out before Lee could see him, noticing the target practice was nearly over. As soon as she finished, Lee looked back at Dom, his expression not as surprised as he had grown used to her skill.

"How's that?" she smiled. Dom smiled back and crossed his arms, pleased.

"Perfect."


	5. Chapter Five: Familiar Places, Familiar ...

The last couple days passed quickly, and soon Lee found herself waking up on Friday morning, barely able to sleep the night before. She sleepily glanced over at the digital clock beside her bed and read the red, squared numbers.

"6:08. God damn..." she whispered to herself, not pleased at all with the hour she was awaking. She sighed. "Maybe I'll go get some breakfast."

She lazily threw on her robe and padded downstairs to the kitchen, flipping on the light. She decided she should eat a light breakfast, so she popped some bread into the toaster and sat down at the table, waiting for it to finish.

As soon as it was done she put it on a small plate from the cupboard and walked out to the living room to watch TV. She flicked the TV on and sat down on the couch, but soon she found herself more interested in the rising sun outside the living room window than whatever was on the television. She stood up and glided over to the sliding glass doors, stepping outside and taking a deep breath. The air was salty and lukewarm - beautiful morning air. She walked over to the slightly raised border of the yard, where the grass ended and the sea began. She rolled up her pajama bottoms and sat down, dipping her feet into the liquid glass of the Atlantic. She watched the distant sky as the sun rose, leaning back on her elbows and inhaling the salty ocean air again. She couldn't remember ever feeling that calm, 'course she couldn't remember much of anything. The corners of her mouth curled into a gentle smile as she shifted her eyes back down to the water, watching a school of fish swimming near the surface swim by.

"Such a beautiful, hateful place," she whispered to herself. She sighed heavily as the thoughts of the day ahead of her came flooding back into her mind. Finally she stood and closed her eyes, still lingering for a few moments more at the ocean's border until she felt the strength to pull herself away and head back into the now sun-lighted house.

Dom watched Lee the whole time from his bedroom window, smiling slightly at the remembrance of a time when the same salty ocean air calmed him as well. Soon afterward he frowned, suddenly realizing how calloused he'd become. _"What am I complaining about, this is how I wanted to be. How I needed to be,"_he thought to himself. He knew he couldn't be a sissy and still survive in the world he immersed himself in. He always knew love was out of the question, he was here for a purpose and fully intended to serve that purpose to the best of his ability.

"Ha," he whispered to himself, "I sound like some kind of militant."

He turned to the door and walked with heavy footsteps downstairs to the kitchen, where he greeted a hearty home-cooked breakfast. He looked around the kitchen expecting to see Molly, but raised his eyebrows and grinned dramatically when he saw Lee standing at the sink washing last night's leftover dishes.

"Never pictured you as the housewife type," he stated with a hint of humor. Lee grinned and let out a hoarse chuckle.

"What are you doing picturing me at all?"she replied, humorously incriminatory. Dom smiled at her distant playfulness - Dom then decided to change the subject.

"I never knew you knew how to cook."

"Neither did I."

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Lee's nerves had been boiling that whole day, and on top of that she was completely worn out and exhausted. She looked in the bathroom mirror at herself, wet hair and haggard face. There were dark circles appearing under her eyes, but her irises were still as blue as the ocean her home island rested on -- although they were outlined with tiny red vessels. Lee rolled her eyes and dressed in the black outfit Dom had given her.

"God, how cliché," she thought out loud.

"_The basic black uniform, usually used in robberies. Hard to spot at night and I personally think it keeps the wearer looking neat and tidy, perfect for a business meeting such as ours."_

She could still hear Dom's words ringing in her ears. His words along with the past two weeks of gunfire and muscles ripping that she didn't even know she had until then. She knew she'd better get used to it, she had a feeling it wouldn't be over any time soon.

Lee's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door.

"Hey Lee, you grow roots in there?" Dom's voice called from the other side of the door. Lee let out a cooperative chuckle at his so-called joke and replied.

"No, I'm getting ready. You know us girls," she quipped.

"Yeah well, hurry up." Lee narrowed her eyes at the door as if he could see her though the thick block of mahogany. She could hear him walking away as she slipped the black sweater over her head and plugged her large, block-like hair dryer into the wall beneath the mirror.

When she finally arrived downstairs, Dom and two other men were checking briefcases, probably to make sure everything was there and accounted for. Dom looked toward Lee with anxious brown eyes.

"You ready?" he asked, his voice laced with a thicker-than-usual brooklyn-esque accent. She nodded and followed Dom and the two other men as they walked out the back door.

"Why the back?" Lee asked.

"What would you think if you saw four figures dressed in black walking out of their house in the dead of night - with briefcases?" Lee stared at him and smiled faintly, embarrassed that she hadn't thought of it herself.

"Oh."

Dom entered a silver sentinel parked near the back door. The two other men got in the backseat, leaving Lee to sit up front with Dom.

"This is Joe and Donny," Dom began, introducing Lee to the men. "Fellas', this is Lee. I told you about her, this is her first time." The men nodded and smiled, surprising Lee as they were friendlier than she'd expected. Joe reached his hand up to the front seat to shake Lee's.

"It's not always as bad as it seems," he said softly, leaning up to speak specifically to Lee. Lee nodded, trying not to let her raging nerves be completely obvious.

"I know," she stated and grinned with a slight arrogance. Joe smiled heartily and sat back in his seat, knowing just how the beautiful black-haired girl was feeling.

Soon after the greetings, Dom fired up the engine and they began to drive off, heading toward the bridge on the other side of the island. They drove straight across the bridge, then turned a couple of times until they came to a small building, stopping the car. Lee looked up at the building through the passenger window, then glanced over to Dom and the other two men giving each other knowing glances.

"_Tooled up," _she read to herself. _"Cute." _

After about five minutes of sitting there in silence for no apparent reason, Dom started the car again and turned into a small lot behind the white building next to 'Tooled Up.' There they were greeted by another man, also dressed in black, and Marty, dressed in his usual casual attire - a dark leather jacket and a light blue shirt.

Dom and Joe got out of the car and walked up to the red and white sports car, greeting Marty and the other man. Marty took out a map and pointing out certain areas and running his finger along the paper. They looked as if they were going over some top-secret plan.

Lee shifted her eyes from the foursome to glance back at Donny, who she found, much to her chagrin, was watching her intently. She smiled nervously at him, his rough expression not budging. Realizing she wasn't going to get any friendly conversation out of him, she turned back to the four men who were now splitting up again, Marty and the other man in the red and white sports car and Joe and Dom heading back to the sentinel. As Dom ducked back into the car, he looked at Lee.

"You're gonna stay in the car unless we need you, alright?" Lee nodded, almost relieved that she probably wouldn't have to actually be in on this "business."

"But remember, guilt by association is as good as doin' it yaself," spoke a voice from the back seat. Lee glanced back to see Donny pointing a finger in her face and an equally sharp scowl peering at her from behind it. Lee just looked at him, contemplating making a snide remark, but deciding against it as Dom spoke up.

"That's enough, Don. She's not a rat." Lee looked at Dom with thankful eyes, but Dom's attention was fixed on the red and white sports car.

Soon after, they drove off, Marty and the other man following close behind. They turned a quick corner before a large black van came out of the shadows of a back alley near the El Nuevo Siglo Supermarket, traveling a good distance behind Dom, and putting an even greater distance between Dom and Marty. Dom turned the car again until he came to the interstate, turning right and driving until he came to the foot of the bridge again.

They drove straight across the bridge and onto Starfish island. Lee looked into the rearview mirror and watched as Marty turned down the first road they came to on the island. A couple minutes later, as they neared the middle road, Marty pulled out in front of them and the van following behind them turned down the middle road. Lee didn't see him again for the rest of the ride there.

Finally they reached the bridge to the other island, crossing it as smoothly as they had the first. Upon arrival Marty and the man in the red and white sports car in front of them turned right on the first road, driving out of sight while Dom drove straight, coming up over a hill before turning right and traveling straight down the somewhat windy road. After driving for what Lee devised to be about 20 minutes, they turned to their right, down another road, turned left, and turned right again down a bending road. Finally they began to approach a familiar white building. Lee immediately recognized it, even from a distance.


	6. Chapter Six: Ocean Bay Marina

"_Ocean Bay Marina..." _she read to herself as she looked up at the sign through the passenger window. She looked up at the glass doors that she had peered through once before, only this time they showed a dark and lonely hollowed space. No people walking around, no stories being made up - just the raw truth. She was there in the middle of the night with a man she barely knew preparing to commit only god knows how many crimes. She closed her eyes and tried to push the thoughts away as she heard the back door slam shut.

Joe had left the car and ran into the building, the glass doors unlocked and waiting for him. The car, although not moving, was still running. Lee glanced over at Dom, his face plastered with a serious/nervous guise.

A couple minutes later, Joe ran back out, followed by yet another, younger man. They ran across the parking lot and got into a blue sports car, sitting there in the parked car for a few moments before driving into the parking garage. Lee could hear the echoes of men talking down there, some even laughing. She couldn't imagine what could be funny at a time like this.

Soon after, Marty and the other man also drove into the garage. Lee heard the car screech to a halt and a car door slam shut. Her nerves began to grind even harder as she realized soon she would be in that same parking garage, facing what could possibly be her end.

Approximately five minutes later, Dom followed the other cars' lead and drove into the parking garage. Upon entrance Lee noticed some large vans parked in the far left corner of the garage, surrounded by young street-gang looking boys. One of them looked at her and winked, Lee simply shoot him an arrogant grin, trying to act like she wasn't quite as new at this, even though it was still painfully obvious.

Dom parked the car next to the other two cars parked at the far right end of the garage. He motioned for Joe and Donny to get out and go to greet the boys, taking only one of two suitcases with them. Dom watched intently as the boys grinned, staring down at the cash before them.

"Little pricks," Dom whispered under his breath. After the men showed the other boys the cash, one of the boys went to the rear end of one of the vans and opened the doors, revealing a tanned cloth covering what looked to be several boxes. The boys then tore the cover off, unveiling several large guns and nearly two full boxes of ammo and firepower. The men nodded, pleased with the merchandise.

"Hey, where's the rest of our money, pricks?!" One of the boys yelled out, sounding rather irritated. The two men nodded towards the car Lee and Dom were sitting in. Dom's eyebrows furrowed and he grinded his teeth.

"We've been dealing with some big arms provider through them for almost a year now, and I'm sick of playing cat and mouse with these little cock-suckers. I think it's time we find out who big leader is," Dom growled as he got out of the car, picking up an Uzi he had between the bucket seats of the sentinel. He walked gingerly over to the gang of boys, a fake and misleading grin painted on his face. He and the other gang exchanged words for a moment until a single gunshot was fired at Dom and missed. This began a downpour of gunfire.

Lee listened to the guns as they went off, every shot throbbing in her ears. She sat still for a moment, staring at the battle through the window until she heard a fusillade of gunfire showing the side of the sentinel she sat in. She immediately opened her door and ducked out to the side of the car, trying to shield herself with the steel door. She kneeled there, listening to her surroundings to make sure nobody was calling for her.

Suddenly a python fell into her lap and she looked over to see a crouching Dom hovering beside her, glaring at her with sober eyes and an angry scowl painted across his features.

"We need you, get up and start shooting some of these bastards down," he began, lifting himself up over the hood just enough to see what he was doing and fired a single shot, hitting one of the boys. Lee could hear him scream as the bullet struck him. Dom immediately ducked back down behind the shield of the car. "I want you to stay behind the car and use it as a shield, don't get shot I can't afford to lose you."Lee nodded, confused at what he meant but knowing now wasn't the time for inquiries.

Dom took off behind the blue sports car that was parked near the sentinel she hid behind, and finally darted behind a steel pole, getting another one of the boys in the leg. Lee lifted herself up slightly, peering out over the hood. Her eyes widened as she saw men getting shot, and saw Donny take a hit in the leg.

She grabbed the gun and cocked it, secretly hoping she wouldn't actually have to shoot anybody. Suddenly a man in a blue-jean jacket came hurling himself at her, the barrel of a Mac 10 plummeting toward her. She instinctively lifted the gun and fired, watching the man fly backwards onto the pavement, his blood pooling around his body.

"Marty you stupid prick, you hit Joe!" she heard Dom yell as more gunfire rang from the other side of the garage.

Finally the gunfire dwindled down and eventually stopped, and Lee stood up from behind her massive steel shield. She looked around the parking garage, blood covering more than half of it, even pooled in some place. Then she glanced over at Dom who had one of the boys pinned down on the ground, his Uzi pointed right between the boy's eyes.

"Look you little piece of shit," she heard him say as she inched her way around the sentinel, "I wanna know who your dealer is and I want to know now, unless you want a new piercing in the middle of your forehead," he stated fiercely, flicking the boy's pierced ear with his index finger and thumb. The boy's eyes widened and he opened his mouth. He whispered a name that Lee couldn't make out and Dom stood up, smiling. "That's all we needed to know." Dom glanced up at the man that came with Marty and grinned, acting as if he was going to turn and walk away, but right before he turned he pointed his gun at the boy's head and fired, sending blood all over the pavement and the other man's nice white shoes.

"Damn, and I just bought these, too." The men laughed heartily, but immediately sobered as they heard sirens off in the distance.

"Oh shit," Dom called out and motioned Lee over to him. "We gotta get the fuck out of here right now," he began, taking Lee by the arm and running out of the garage and down the parking lot, all the way to the winding curb where he almost ran her over. At the end of the sidewalk they were greeted by the same van they'd used earlier in the maneuvers they were doing from the other island. They immediately got in and sped off, missing the police by mere seconds.

Lee glanced over to the seat next to her, calming when she recognized it was Marty. Lee's head hurt and her stomach churned at what she saw back there, although it didn't hit her quite as hard as she'd expected it would. It almost seemed familiar...

"Hey, don't think about it, alright?" Marty spoke, breaking the silence that overflowed from the car. Lee looked at Marty with furrowed eyebrows, half wondering what exactly he meant and half knowing exactly what he meant. "Sometimes you gotta kill to survive." Lee closed her eyes and turned her head away, the words implanting themselves on her mind. "Trust me, it gets easier."

As soon as they got home, Lee didn't speak to anybody, she just ran upstairs and ran herself a hot bubble bath, trying to forget that night. She knew the other man would be spending the night in the spare room, for safety purposes. She also knew that if Donny or Joe were alive, they'd be the fall guys. And she also knew if they weren't alive it'd be even better... no squealers.

Lee rested her head on the back of the tub. She hated herself for thinking those things about Donny and Joe; Joe was a nice guy. Donny was just cautious. They didn't deserve to take the fall for such a stupid reason. And it all happened so fast -- it was almost as if one second, she was talking to Joe and grinning at him, and the next minute he was dead. And she wasn't even sure she was sorry he was dead.

"Better him than me," she thought out loud, mentally cursing herself for saying such a thing. She closed her eyes again and pushed all other thoughts away, realizing the words had actually made her feel better than worse.

"Yeah... better him than me."


	7. Chapter Seven: Florida Sunrise

The next morning Lee got up out of bed, having not slept a wink. She figured she'd do what she had done Friday morning: go downstairs, have some breakfast, sit outside and watch the sunrise.

Lee had heard Dom and the other man talking downstairs. They thought it was fine to leave the ammo and arms in the garage, they had the name of the dealer anyway, so they could probably get the same weapons for less. She never particularly liked hearing people talk business, but frankly she agreed with them. She just couldn't imagine what they needed with that many arms, though she wasn't really sure she wanted to, either.

Having suitably freed her mind from the cold thoughts of last night's "business", she padded softly down the stairs and headed toward the kitchen. It was early in the morning and the sun hadn't even begun to rise yet; she'd probably have time for a good breakfast. Something to look forward to.

She guided herself through the downstairs of the house and into the doorway of the kitchen, stubbing her toe on a pair of boots sitting in the corner. She assumed they belonged to the man who was staying there since she hadn't seen them before.

"God damn it," she whispered to herself, grabbing her foot. When the throbbing pain finally subsided, she flipped the light on. She nearly screamed, startled at a bruised up Marty sitting in the dark kitchen. His lip had been busted and both of his eyes were blackened; it looked as if somebody had taken a baseball bat to his face. Considering what Dom had done the night before at the meeting, she wouldn't put much past him.

"Oh my god, Marty..." she began. Marty shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Don't make a big deal of it. It happens, get used to it," he stated flatly. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at his wounds, gently running her index finger down the side of his face. He immediately jerked his head away and kept it still on a tilt. Lee could tell he was looking at her out of the corner of his eye, but she just kept staring at him sympathetically.

"Did Dom do this?" she asked, her voice accented by apparent irritation. Marty looked at her expressionlessly at first, but then shifted his eyes down to the table.

"Like I said, it happens." Lee shook her head.

"Damn it Marty, why do you take that off of him?" Judging by Marty's look, she figured he'd thought the same thing she did, even as the words escaped her mouth. She didn't know why she even bothered to ask, she already knew the answer. "Well, why did you get into this in the first place, then?" Marty looked up from the table and stared her dead in the eyes.

"Same reason you did."

Lee's looked at him for a moment, taken aback at what he said. Soon her eyes narrowed angrily. She wasn't really sure who exactly she was angry at, though; herself for getting into this, Dom for getting her into this, or Marty for pointing it all out to her.

"Look, Lee, I fucked up. I shot Joe. Dom had a right to be pissed." Lee glared at him.

"He had no right beating the shit out of you..."

"Yeah, Lee. That's what happens when a lowlife freeloader makes the mistake of killing an important man." Lee scowled.

"Yeah, he was so important Dom let him take the fall for _his _crime."

"He was dead, Lee. It wasn't worth it to get him out of there."

"Why are you making excuses for him?"

"Because I deserved it, Lee. That's it. Stop feeling sorry for me, damn it. People have felt sorry for me all my life; I'm sick of it. Maybe if somebody had believed in me instead of pitying me I would be more than a..."Marty stopped himself. "Look, he can't risk me shooting his men in the middle of battle. It could've been anybody. It could've been Dom, or even you."Lee closed her eyes, not wanting to admit that Dom was in the right.

"_I guess that's how they handle things around here," _she thought to herself. It was true. People had no time for patience, they only had time to think of their own gains and losses and try to make something of themselves in the crime infested city. Not like it mattered much anyway, they would only end up dieing at the hands of a stronger nothing following their lead. None of it made sense to Lee, no matter how hard she tried.

After several moments of silence, Marty spoke again.

"You look tired. You should go get some sleep." Lee shook her head.

"I tried, I can't sleep." They sat in silence for a few more moments before Lee finally spoke again. "You ever watch a Florida sunrise?"


	8. Chapter Eight: Unwanted Inquiry

A/N: I haven't updated in a while due to recent events in my life, but hopefully I'll be updating more often. I was thinking I should go back and make the chapters shorter, maybe cut them in half. I realized as I re-read through them trying to get back into the mode of my story that it's incredibly hard to make it through a chapter that's as long as my chapters are. I was hoping this chapter would be a little shorter than past chapters, but it's hard to tell in WordPad. I also hope this chapter comes out better than the others, I spent about 3-4 months on it, lol. Enjoy, and please review. I'd love to hear your feedback... and thanks to Sorceress Cassandra180 for being the first to review my story :).

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Lee leaned back on her elbows, drawing in a lung-full of the salty ocean air. She dipped her feet into the cool blue paradise, feeling the liquid satin caressing her feet and ankles. Her eyes drifted between the sunrise-tinted sky above her, and the bustling city across from her. Somehow she was amused almost by the pure oxymoron it was. This city, full of such danger and corruption, built on a virtual paradise. It was, in fact, somewhat poetic.

As she sat and took in the sight of her surroundings, she realized it had become somewhat of a ritual that she come out here every morning to watch the sunrise, but that was okay. It helped her keep her head straight amidst all the chaos that surrounded her.

For instance, Marty had been giving Dom a hard time lately, and she was beginning to worry. She had found out long ago that Dom was a quick-tempered man, and Marty was definitely pushing him beyond the line that bordered anger and fury. Lee thought it was an incredibly stupid thing to do, and she knew Marty wasn't that stupid. She secretly wondered what he had up his sleeve, but she didn't bother to ask. In fact, she had been keeping to herself more often lately. She wasn't sure whether it was because she felt like she was being pulled into the middle of a spinning whirlpool of all things hellish and had absolutely no control over it, or because she felt she simply had nothing good to say.

Lee closed her eyes, allowing these thoughts so escape her mind, leaving room for more important things. She had neither the time -- nor the mind -- to waste on such irrelevant matters. Though she was growing closer to Marty, it wasn't her place to worry about him. He was Dom's sidekick, not hers.

Realizing the thought that had just crossed her mind, she backtracked and focused on one particular word: place. It wasn't her place. Suddenly the cold, hard reality of her situation came rushing to her, leaving her near breathless as she gazed up toward the already-sunny morning sky. She finally realized her place in all of this.

"I'm Marty," she whispered to herself.

"You're far more useful than Marty."

Lee jumped to her feet and spun around sharply, glancing at a smirking Dom standing just outside the sliding glass doors of the back patio. She just glared at him, suddenly finding herself speechless unable to point out that it seemed as if he'd made a habit of sneaking up behind her and startling her.

"Beautiful out here, isn't it?" he asked as he walked toward the seaside and stopping beside her, never taking his eyes off of the baby-blue morning sky. Lee just nodded and mumbled a nearly incoherent "uh huh," her mind still not having entirely settled yet.

"Yeah. I've seen you out here a lot lately, briskly at sunrise." He paused, glancing quickly at Lee and smiling. "Never knew you to be an early riser." Lee glared at him, allowing a quiet smirk to slide across her lips.

"I'd hardly think knowing a person for a month, give or take, constitutes as you knowing them as well as you think you know me," Lee replied audaciously. As soon as she saw the disapproval grow along his features she decided it best to retract her sarcasm. She'd figured Marty was already grinding his nerves; it wasn't a good idea for her to start, too. "It helps me relax and keep my head straight," she corrected, softening her voice and sobering her own features.

"Ah," he replied simply. There was a long pause as each of them stared into the morning sky, each at an equal loss of words.

"I remember enjoying a nice sunrise every now and then," Dom finally spoke, breaking the brief awkward silence. "'Course, big city sunrises ain't as nice as Florida ones." Lee glanced over at him.

"What do you mean big city?" she questioned. She'd always just assumed he grew up in Vice City.

"What, you thought I grew up here?" It was almost as if he'd read her thoughts. Lee nodded. "Oh. Nah, not many Italians grew up in Vice. It's mostly Cubans down here. I grew up in Liberty City, you ever heard of it?" Lee shook her head.

"Not that I can pin-point, but it sounds familiar. It's in New York, right?" This time Dom nodded.

"Yeah."

"Ohh," Lee replied as if everything all made sense now. "So that explains the accent," she thought out loud. Dom smiled and looked over at her again. She met his gaze and smiled back, unsure of what to say next. She'd noticed he had a rather attractive smile. He wasn't a bad looking man all together. He had dark hair and eyes, and olive skin -- it was apparent he was Italian even before he'd told her so. He was tallish, not necessarily exceptionally tall, and he had a sturdy frame. Not skinny, and by no means was he fat. He was just... sturdy. "So why did you come to Vice City then?" she asked, trying to direct her thoughts away from analyzing his appearance.

"To help a friend," he replied simply.

"Oh, that Tommy something guy?"

"Vercetti... yeah. I heard he was doing good for himself down here and decided to come and see if he could... use a helping hand," he chose his words wisely.

"And that lead to partnership..."

"Yeah."

"So where does the helping part come in?" Dom continued to stare at the sky; Lee knew he was trying to think of the right words to use.

"Well, how can I explain this? Tommy is a complicated man, and he handles business, well, differently."

"He's a very shrewd businessman, and doesn't always ... use discretion. Not everyone is crazy 'bout him," Dom looked over at her, searching her face for a reaction. Lee stared blankly for a moment before nodding her head and smiling.

"So you mean basically he's a walking dead man?" Lee asked directly. Dom laughed, amused at her blatant and unmonitored honesty.

"Yep."

"So he's a big man in town, right?" Dom nodded.

"Yeah..."

"And he's your business partner, right?"

"Uh huh..."

"So why haven't I met him yet?" Dom's amused face instantly sobered, almost falling into a scowl.

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

"And you don't?" Lee replied, either not noticing or simply not accepting his hint.

"I have the right to," Dom snapped back, amply irritated at her unwarranted inquiry. He shifted his eyes away from her face and back over the ocean before turning to the house to head inside. "Don't stay out here too long, there's things to be done." Lee rolled her eyes and turned back to the ocean, listening to hear the click of the sliding glass doors closing.

"Dude needs to get laid," Lee whispered flatly to herself in a failed attempt to redeem her mood. She took one last look at the serene view, soaking it into her memory before turning toward the house and heading inside herself.


	9. Chapter Nine: Getting Down to Business

"Lee, come downstairs, I need to talk to you" Dom poked his head inside her room, searching the commodious cubic space before finding her curled up on her bed, pen and notebook in hand.

"About?" she questioned, never looking up from her notebook. Dom had become annoyed with her constant inquiry. He often asked himself why he couldn't have happened upon a girl who'd have known and understood her place. Even so, he often found it equally attractive and charming. He supposed any decent Italian woman would have a mouth her size. He honestly didn't know whether she was Italian or not, but he liked to think she was.

"You'll find out when you get down there," he nearly croaked at her. Lee looked up, flashing him a nearly amused look with her piercing blue eyes. Dom never really could resist her hypnotically blue puppy-dog eyes and inexorable female charm. "Just come downstairs when you're done," he corrected hesitantly, a slightly softer tone captivating his baritone voice. Lee nodded, returning her attention to her notebook. She finished her paragraph and closed the notebook, setting it down on the bed beside her and sitting herself up. She lingered there on the edge of the bed, working up the gumption to stand and face what she assumed would be a lecture concerning her earlier inquiries. Though she wasn't sure she wanted to, she knew she had to go down there regardless, so she rose from the bed and hesitantly headed down the stairs.

When she arrived downstairs she noticed the light on in the kitchen, which was unusual for this hour. _"Oh god, he's in there waiting for me like a hawk," _she amusedly thought to herself.

"Dom, why would you want to talk to me at this hour," she began, heading for the kitchen. "It's gotta be at least midnight, how did you know I wasn't asl-..." Lee cut herself short as she turned the corner into the kitchen, noticing a strange man seated at the table across from Dom. He was a nice looking black man, dressed in a nice white -- probably Italian -- suit. He stood immediately upon her arrival, walking briskly over to her, extending his hand. Lee just glared at him for a moment before shaking her head to alert herself and extending her own hand to shake his.

"Name's Lance." Lee smiled in response. "You must be Lee. I've heard good things about you." Lee smiled as he pointed to emphasize certain words.

After the proper greetings, they each sat themselves down at the table awaiting Dom's continuance. Dom leaned forward, folding his hands on the table in front of him.

"This is another good friend of Tommy's, Lee" Dom began, glancing at Lee. Lee cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh, you know Tommy?" Lance inquired, glancing over at Lee.

"Not personally," She replied.

"I've mentioned him a couple times," Dom interjected. Lee smirked. A thousand retorts rushed into her mind, but she decided now wasn't the time to start an argument. She nodded instead.

"Gee Dom, for somebody who sounds so disliked, it sure seems like he has a lot of friends," she quipped, cocking an eyebrow and grinning deviously at Dom. She, herself, was beginning to question the actual existence of the man. Dom just stared at Lee for a moment before continuing as if she hadn't said a word.

"Lance needs some... help with a business associate," Dom began again, as if he was trying to break something to her softly. "I figured it was time you try a little business on your own Lee." Lee frowned. _"Figures,"_ she thought to herself. "That is, if you think you're ready," he finished. Lee thought for a moment before shaking her head slightly and replying.

"I'm not s-..."

"I think this would be a great opportunity for you, Lee," Dom cut her off, stern voice and narrowed eyes. Lee nodded, taking the hint.

"Sure, why not," she finally replied, airing a false confidence. "If you think I'm ready."

"Good. I remembered how well you fought when I first brought you here." _"Brought you here," _Lee repeated in her mind. "I figured you'd be perfect for what Lance here needs. You understand, he'll have to see for himself, though." Lee frowned again.

"So then the point of this conversation was?..."

"To make sure you agreed," Dom replied, apparently more than slightly disgruntled that she was not only questioning him, but in front of company as well.

"And if I hadn't?" Lee secretly knew she shouldn't be pushing his buttons like this, but she just couldn't stop herself.

"That'll be all, Lee. You can go back to bed now." Lee rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to speak again, but Dom immediately quieted her. "I said that'll be all," he repeated, firmer this time. Lee scowled and shot him a look before standing and walking out of the room, leaving the two men alone to talk.

"So Dom, why haven't you told Tommy about her yet?" Lance questioned.

"I don't think she's ready to meet him yet," he stated simply. Lance chuckled.

"Afraid he's gon' steal yo' girl, huh?" Lance quipped with a grin.

"Not at all. Tommy's a tough man. I'm not sure she's ready to face him yet." Lance continued to grin, suspecting he was right despite Dom's denials.

"So like I said, afraid he's gon' steal yo' girl, right?" Lance, still grinning, repeated. Dom glanced over at Lance, his eyes narrowed from annoyance of Lance's repetition.

"Like I said, he's a tough man. He runs a strict business, she'd be more useful to him with a little more experience on the streets." When Lance was still grinning, Dom decided to try to drive the conversation back to the point. "Speaking of which, I think you'll find her skills useful to your situation," Dom stated professionally.

"I've never seen you take mouth like that off of anyone, man. What's goin' on that you ain't tellin' me?" Lance continued to question, making Dom realize he wasn't giving it up.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about," Dom replied, shifting slightly in his seat. Lance chuckled again.

"That girl gave you lip all over the damn place. Anyone else and you woulda capped 'em right there. You turnin' soft or somethin'?"

"She's more useful to me alive, Lance." Dom paused for a moment, trying to think of a new way to change the subject. Lance ended up doing it for him.

"So Tommy's been askin' about you. Why you ain't been to the Pole Position lately and all." Lance glanced over at Dom interrogatively. "So why haven't you been over lately?"

"I've been too busy for whores lately," Dom replied readily. Lance shook his head.

"Ain't no business too important to take a little time off to, uh, get ya' mind off things," Lance winked. Dom grinned and shook his head.

"Apparently you haven't spent much time workin' on business." Lance scowled and Dom smiled proudly, pleased with his equal annoyance of Lance. "Maybe we could start now, then," Dom began, again shifting the conversation toward the initial point of meeting. This time Lance conquered, still a little perturbed at Dom's earlier crack. As Lance nodded, Dom continued on with business as planned.


End file.
